Hiding in Plain Sight
by AngelicAura94
Summary: When Roy and Riza were teenagers, they fell in love. However, with Roy's ultimate goal of becoming Fuhrer of Amestris, they cannot risk being seen as a couple, lest their enemies use them against each other. They devise a plan to hide their love, which, among other things, involves Riza becoming Mrs. Edward Elric. Will they succeed in hiding their love in plain sight?
1. Beginnings

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, or any of their characters. I do own my ideas. Any similarities to other fics is purely coincidental.**

**AN: I know I'm behind on the whole Royai concept, but I just started writing this and figured I'd post it. This is my first story, so please feel free to review to your heart's content. I'm a beginner writer (which is sad because I'm in college), so please help me get better. I love constructive criticism, so don't hold back. Also, I want to clarify that this is rated M for a reason, so read at your own risk. Hope you enjoy!**

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**Chapter 1: Beginnings**

He reached over and gently brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. They hadn't ever made eye contact quite like this before. She was both shocked and intrigued by his eyes. They conveyed everything he was feeling all at once. Everything he wanted to do with and to her. Nothing was going to get in his way but her steeled will. She was not going to give in that easily. She would be strong. She was, in fact, only 16, but she was wise beyond her years. He was 18, and in their country, Amestris, it was perfectly legal for them to have a sexual relationship, although it wasn't exactly proper. She knew this and so did he, but damn. His eyes were so gorgeous. So was his body. And God only knew what the inside of his pants looked like. All at once she realized she wanted him, all of him, all over her, inside her, around her. As a virgin, she surprised herself with this revelation. She actually wanted a man, and he genuinely seemed to want her too.

"Roy…"

"Yeah?"

"What are we going to do?"

"You tell me, Riza."

Hearing her name grace those beautiful lips of his sent goose bumps surging all over her. She had crazy butterflies in her stomach. She had honestly never felt this way before, as cheesy as that sounded.

She was so goddamn stunning, he thought. How could he keep his hands off of her for much longer? Why was she being so stubborn? Why not just let him have his way with her? Goddamn it. Damn it all to hell. He wanted her so bad!

They were standing near the door of his room. All at once he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her against the wall.

"Roy what the hell…"

He didn't let her finish her question before kissing her deeply. He put every ounce of emotion into his kiss, and she could tell. He was a damn fine kisser, Riza thought to herself, although she had nothing to compare it to. She smiled and kissed him back for all she was worth. Yes…she loved him. She was sure of it. As of that kiss, she was in love with Roy Mustang.

Fuck it, he thought. He'd had enough of her playing hard to get. He was just going to take her. She'd thank him later. …DAMN! It was easy for him to say, but he wouldn't do that. Hell, he knew he loved her, but she still wouldn't put out for him! He'd loved her for a while now, can't she see that?

She couldn't believe that someone actually cared for her as deeply as she knew he did. She hadn't been much of a social butterfly, so meeting anyone was a feat in and of itself. She looked back into those deep eyes of his, hoping to find some sort of reprieve.

Yeah, he saw the look in her eyes; the look of longing. Wait a second…was she was changing her mind about having sex with him? He sure as hell hoped so.

"Riza?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you love me?"

She instantly felt her face get extremely hot as a full-forced blush rose to her cheeks. Could he really read her that well? She quickly looked away, embarrassed of her extreme blushing, which made her blush even more.

She let out a little giggle. "What a silly question…"

"How is it silly?" he replied, obviously flustered by her response.

"You already know the answer."

"I need to hear it."

She had never told anyone this because she was scared to fall in love. She was afraid of the potential hazards that usually followed people who fell in love. The heartbreak, the sacrifice, the pain. However, she was also excited. If having time to love Roy meant those hazards, then she wanted it. She wanted everything that came with loving this boy…no, this man.

"…yes, Roy Mustang. I love you."

He smiled at her words and felt a pang of excitement. Holy shit. Holy SHIT. How did he ever get so lucky?

"So what about you?" Riza asked, drawing him out of his love-struck stupor.

"Huh? What about me what?"

She sighed. "Do you love me back?"

"What a silly question," he replied in a teasing way.

She nudged him in the stomach playfully. "Come on! You know what I mean!"

He pulled her closer to his body, taking in every ounce of her being. He cupped her face in his hands, peering straight into her soul. He knew that he would never be able to live without her. What he felt for her was so much more than love, if that was even possible. He was completely committed to her, and he knew he always would be.

"Yes, Riza Hawkeye. I love you more than life itself. I've wanted to tell you that for a long time."

She felt his body relax as he spoke, clearly relieved of the secret he just revealed. She smiled. She couldn't stop, either. She just stood there with that stupid grin on her face. Before she fully knew what she was doing, she had him pinned to the wall similar to how he had her just minutes ago. She grabbed his wrists and put them up by his head.

"Don't move them."

He smiled and really liked where this was going, although he wanted to touch her more than anything.

She trailed her hands down his chest and took a deep breath. God he smelled good. Motivated by the smell, she quickly slipped her hands under his shirt, feeling his muscular body tense up at her touch. He had a very surprised look on his face. Probably shocked at the fact that she was actually the one doing the seducing. To be honest, she was pretty surprised too. She continued to move her hands up his chest until his shirt was off. She really hoped she knew what she was doing. The only sexual knowledge she had been from romance novels.

Once his shirt was off, she let out a gasp and had to take a step back. She just couldn't comprehend how unbelievably gorgeous he was. And the fact that this gorgeous man was hers for the taking made her head spin. She was such a plain girl, she didn't deserve him.

"What's wrong?" he asked with genuine concern on his face. Did she not like the way he looked?

It took a few seconds for her to respond. She was pretty sure she was in shock. "You're just so…perfect."

He sighed and chuckled in relief. "I guess that's why we go together so well."

"Why, cause I'm so plain? Opposites attract, right?"

"What? Hell no! You are anything but plain, love."

She had to blush. She just had to. First he basically called her perfect, and then he called her love. She felt light headed like a little schoolgirl talking to her crush.

"You are so perfect…" he trailed off. He disobeyed her orders to keep his wrists still and once again cupped her face in his hands. Once he touched her, it seemed like he couldn't control his hands anymore. He did similarly to what she had done, reaching under her shirt and touching her velvety skin. He felt chills rise all over her, and he knew he had her wrapped around his finger. In one smooth motion, he lifted her shirt off. He could feel his blood rushing faster, finding its way to the lower part of his body. He bent down and kissed, licked, and bit every inch of skin he had access to.

Oh God. If there even was a God, He was sure giving her a good night. The feeling of Roy's warm mouth on her skin was ecstatic. He was furiously kissing her all over, and she didn't stop him. Why would she? It felt so damn good. He was soon making it a point that he wanted her completely, and fast. He lifted her, and she followed his thoughts by wrapping her legs around his waist. She started unconsciously breathing faster, her heart rate rising, her adrenaline pumping. He walked her over to his bed, and got on top of her as soon as he put her down. He focused on getting her remaining clothes off, and she did the same for him. When she finally got his boxers off, her eyes widened. It was bigger than she had imagined.

"You like what you see?" he asked seductively.

She couldn't get herself to speak, so she just nodded.

"You want it inside of you?"

She still couldn't speak, but she managed to nod again and let out a small whimper.

"You know this is going to hurt, right?"

"Yes, Roy…" she said as she finally was able to muster her voice.

He found his destination and went in full force. She screamed loudly in pain, wincing as he came inside of her.

"I promise the pain will go away soon. I love you Riza…" Roy whispered warmly. He then continued to give her the best night of her life.

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**AN: I promise next chapter will be more in-depth regarding my actual story line ideas, and hopefully it will be a bit longer. This was just an introduction to R&R's relationship. I hope to have the next chapter up within a couple weeks. Again, please feel free to review. Thanks for reading!**


	2. The Pawn

**AN: Yay my next chapter! It definitely is shorter than I imagined, but I really wanted to save the Riza/Ed interactions for next chapter. Hope you enjoy, thanks for reading, and please feel free to leave reviews! I'm even up for suggestions on where to take the story next. I have plenty of ideas, but hearing what you readers want would be awesome! Thanks again!**

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**Chapter 2: The Pawn**

Roy woke up from his dream and looked over at Riza, who was still sleeping. Ah, yes. That was the first time they made love. It was wonderful and exhilarating, as was every time they had made love in the past 5 years, including last night.

She felt him stir and woke up, looking at him with those sleepy puppy dog eyes he'd learned to love so much.

"Good morning, beautiful." He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"Well you're in an awfully good mood for it being…" She looked over at the clock. "…6 in the morning."

"I just had a wonderful dream, that's all," Roy responded with a grin.

"Oh? What about?"

"The first time we made love."

She rolled her eyes. Was his mind _always_ thinking about sex? However annoyed she was at that fact, she still couldn't help but blush and smile at him. "You're such a romantic, Roy Mustang."

He chuckled and grazed her lips with his. "You know you like it."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really? How could you tell?" she asked, clearly amused.

He rolled on top of her and gazed into her eyes. He then leaned down to kiss the spot behind her ear that he knew she couldn't resist, and she let out an extremely sexual moan.

"I think I've made my point," he said proudly.

She giggled. "Yup, you've got me down to a science."

He smiled and rolled back over so that he was next to her, and she snuggled closer to his warm body.

They rested like this for a while until she noticed the time.

"Do I really have to go back to him?"

"Yes, unfortunately."

Riza sighed. He was right. Goddamnit.

"I'd much rather be here with you."

He smiled wide and kissed her. "I know, but he'll be getting worried if you don't go soon."

She sighed. "I feel like we go through this same conversation every time I leave."

He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed tightly. "Just know you'll always have these arms to come back to."

She sighed once again and sat up. Thinking about her husband was painful to say the least. She knew it wasn't fair to play Ed as a pawn in her and Roy's cover-up, but it was a necessary precaution so that their relationship wouldn't be discovered. Ed was under the impression that Riza worked as Roy's body guard during the night shift. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth, either. Roy was, in fact, now officially known as Colonel Mustang, and it was completely normal for him to have 24/7 protection.

Both Roy and Riza were in the military, her being his Lieutenant, aide, and bodyguard…among other things. Roy had one ambitious goal in mind when he joined the military: to become the Fuhrer of Amestris. Because she loved him, Riza followed him and vowed to do whatever it takes to get him to the top. She had trained in every form of combat, but she had an intense passion for firearms. She was such a good shot that she had even earned the nickname "The Hawk's Eye". Roy felt lucky to have such a skilled marksman on his team, but he felt even luckier that he got to sleep with her almost every night.

Ed was such a child, Roy thought to himself as he watched Riza get out of bed. Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. What a joke. He leaned back on his pillow with his arms crossed over his eyes, deep in thought. Riza deserved to have a husband that actually cares for her. From what she told him last night, Ed was starting to lose interest in her. How was that even possible? Roy thought about the things that Riza would have to do to get Ed's attention back, and it sent a cold chill up his spine. He hated thinking about the show she had to put on for Ed to believe that she wanted to be his wife. He turned on his side and buried his face in the covers.

Riza came out of the bathroom, her hair wet from the shower she had just taken. She saw Roy lying down in his "I'm pouting, don't bother me" position, so she decided to continue getting ready instead of interrupting his thoughts. He was probably just moping about her having to go back to Ed. It's not like she enjoyed having a husband she didn't love. She had just as much reason to sulk as he did.

He heard her moving around so he lifted his head from the covers and was pleasantly surprised to see that she was naked. Damn, she really knew how to make him feel better. She was facing away from him, so he couldn't help but look at the tattoo that adorned the majority of her back. He still felt a knot form in his throat when he remembered that her monster of a father did that to her when she was only a little girl. He instantly felt the need to remind her of her beauty.

"Come here," he beckoned.

"I really need to get ready, Roy." She stood in front of the closet and asked, "What were you thinking about just now, anyway? You looked like you were sulking."

"I was not sulking! I was…pouting."

She smirked and started to put on the outfit she had mentally prepared. "I'm pretty sure that's the same thing, silly."

He chuckled lightly. "Just stop and get your ass over here."

A bit confused, she walked over and sat on the side of the bed. "Okay, now what?"

"I just wanted to look at you." He gave her a devilish smile as he ran his eyes up and down her figure.

She grabbed a pillow and smacked him with it. "I'm going to be late if you keep this up!"

"That's the point!"

She growled at him and got back up to continue dressing.

When she was finished getting ready, she noticed that Roy was out in the kitchen making coffee. "You're a lifesaver."

"Yeah, yeah. Now drink and get going before your husband gets worried." He rolled his eyes and focused on his drink.

"You know you're really cute when you're jealous," she remarked after she took a sip of her coffee.

"I am not jealous, thank you very much. I'm just a tad possessive." He continued to stare at his cup.

She could tell that he was tense, and she needed to do something about it before she left. She laughed softly, knowing what effect it would have on him.

Sure enough, he was instantly turned on by that specific laugh of hers, and it was obvious that it had been her plan all along. He looked up at her longingly, as if she wouldn't go anywhere if he just kept his gaze on her.

"Please don't go," he pleaded.

She walked over to him and gave him a passionate kiss that seemed to last hours, but yet it was only mere minutes. When they pulled away from each other, she looked deep into his eyes.

"You know I have to. I don't want to, but I really need to go. It's only a week until we get to see each other again, right? I'll be fine and so will you."

"Alright, I'll be waiting for you."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

She gave him a quick kiss, turned to the door, and walked out.


	3. Behind Closed Doors

**AN: Just to reiterate, I do not own FMA, FMAB, or their characters. I do own my ideas. Any similarities to other fics is purely coincidental. These three statements are true for every chapter that I have written and will ever write regarding this story.**

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**Chapter 3: Behind Closed Doors**

Roy sighed as he watched Riza leave. How was he supposed to live without her for a week? The longest they had gone without contact was a couple of days. Of course he could have denied her request for leave, but he didn't want to seem too strict or controlling to his subordinates. Speaking of his other subordinates, he really should be getting to Central Command.

He finished his coffee and walked to the closet to put on his military uniform, making sure that everything was neat and proper. When he was satisfied with his reflection, he exited his apartment and began to walk. One nice thing about being a Colonel was that his apartment was just a stone's throw away from his workplace.

He had to admit, it was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, there was a steady breeze, and the temperature was just right. But to Roy, it felt like an opposite reflection of how he felt on the inside. He was depressed, deprived, and rigid. Knowing that he was going to be away from Riza for a whole week really took its toll on his emotional stability. He knew that he was just being childish to let it bother him so much, but he already missed her like crazy. Damn Ed and his vacation plans.

He eventually arrived at Central and made his way to his office. When he walked in, he noticed Second Lieutenants Havoc and Falman were already furiously working on paperwork. Oh great, another day of monotony. One of these days he was just going to set all the paperwork in Central on fire. It would be easy enough. He was called the Flame Alchemist, after all. One snap of his fingers and it would all be ash. But he would probably be dishonorably discharged for doing that. Plus Riza would kill him. So, with all of that in mind, he kept his paper-burning thoughts to himself and got to work, still deep in thought about his missing First Lieutenant.

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Riza had just about made it to her and Ed's house. She groaned at the thought of being away from Roy for a whole week. And to top it all off, she had to spend the week with Ed. She knew that she should be happy to go home to a loving husband, but because she didn't love him back, she couldn't help but feel dread every time she was around him.

She got out her key, took a deep breath, and unlocked the front door.

"Ed! Hayate! I'm home!" she called out when she walked through the door. Black Hayate, known as just Hayate, was her dog that she had taken off Sergeant Major Fuery's hands after he had found him on the streets. Hayate was such a good puppy that she just had to take him. In return, he had been the smartest, most obedient dog she had ever known. He was also a good distraction from Ed, so she was extremely thankful for his company. She saw him come around the corner and kneeled down to greet him. He wagged his tail furiously and he covered her face with kisses.

Ed heard Riza's call and walked to the door. After she stood up from Hayate, he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her shoulder.

"I'm so glad you're home," he whispered.

She forced a smile. "Me too."

He lifted his head and looked at her with concern. "You're a little late. I was getting worried."

"I know, I'm sorry. The Colonel was being fussy this morning. It took me forever to wake him up."

He laughed lightly and gave her a quick kiss. "Sometimes I wonder if that man knows how lucky he is to have you watching over him. He treats you more like a servant than a subordinate."

She smirked, remembering the real reason she was late. Just the thought of Roy looking at her bare body made her smile.

When she noticed Ed looking at her strangely, she quickly steeled her expression and shoved the thoughts of Roy to the back of her mind. "I know he appreciates me and that's all that matters."

He sighed at her response and pulled her closer to him. "I really don't understand why you don't just quit the military. But since I know you won't quit, you could at least move up in the ranks, especially with your combat skills. Why do you remain as his lowly Lieutenant?"

"I promised him a long time ago that I would do anything it takes to help him reach his goal. You have to understand that we have been close friends for a long time, and I am committed to him and my word," she replied with determination.

He looked down at his wife and noticed she was wearing a look of pure, never-ending commitment. He wished that she would have that look when she talked about their marriage. Colonel Mustang must be something really special. Suddenly an abhorrent idea entered his mind. What if she didn't really love him? What if she loved Mustang? …nah! It was impossible. He knew that Riza loved him, not Mustang. If she didn't, then she was one hell of an actress. He chuckled, cupped her face in his hands, and gave her a passionate kiss.

She returned his kiss, forcing herself to ignore the knot forming in her throat.

When they pulled away she looked down at her watch. "Oh! We need to get going! Our train leaves soon!"

"Wow, you're right! Come on, Hayate, I need to give you a quick bath before we leave."

She watched as Ed and Hayate entered the bathroom and sighed. She couldn't even kiss him anymore without feeling disgusted. Also, they were headed to his hometown, Resembool, to visit his supposed "grandmother" and "sister". But she knew better. His "grandmother", Pinako, was really just a close family friend that looked after Ed and his brother, Alphonse, after their mother died. And his "sister", Winry, was Pinako's actual granddaughter, and also Ed's ex-love interest. Riza thought it was pretty odd to refer to an ex-love interest as a sister, but she had to remind herself that this was Ed she was thinking about, so she just brushed it off as one of his silly quirks.

Before she knew it, she heard Ed come out of the bathroom with a very pleased Hayate. She laughed and leaned down to give her dog a good petting, then stood back up and looked at Ed with a soft smile. He really was a good husband. It's a shame that she didn't love him.

"We really need to leave, Ed."

"Have you finished packing?"

"Yup. I did it yesterday before I left for work."

He chuckled and playfully smacked his forehead with his palm. "Of course you did, how stupid of me to ask. You're always prepared."

She laughed at his remark as they heard the honk of a horn outside. She had asked Sergeant Major Fuery to drop them off at the train station, and he had kindly obliged.

They finally finished getting their luggage into the car, and started for the station with Fuery driving, Riza in the passenger seat, and Ed and Hayate in the backseat.

"So Hawkeye, you're going to be gone for a week, right?" Fuery questioned.

She lifted an eyebrow and glared at him. "Yes, that's right. Why do you ask?"

He shifted in his seat, quite uncomfortable with her stare. "Oh, nothing. It's just that whenever you're gone the boss gets…" He swallowed hard, feeling her gaze start to pierce his soul. "…cranky." He was going to say "horny", but he decided against it. It was true, though. Whenever Hawkeye was out of the office, the Colonel turned into a sex monster, flirting with every girl who so much as looks in his direction. He really wanted to know if she knew the reason behind his odd conduct.

She couldn't believe that Fuery was discussing things about Roy while Ed was in the car. She had specifically told him not to do that! Damn it. She was going to make him pay for disobeying orders.

"He gets cranky? Really? Wow, Fuery, I guess you'll just have to make a daily report on his behavior while I'm gone since you seem to be so concerned about him."

He looked over to see that her facial expression had gone from anger to amusement. Was she really punishing him?

"You can't be serious, Hawkeye," he pleaded.

She laughed evilly, sending chills up Fuery's spine. "I'm dead serious! Since you're so worried about the Colonel you can keep an extra sharp eye on him for the next week. I want a detailed daily report on my desk when I get back. That's an order. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, ok." He rolled his eyes and focused on driving.

"What did you say? I couldn't hear you. Your disrespect for your commanding officer distracted me."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll make a daily report of Colonel Mustang while you're away, ma'am," he responded in a sort of militarized chant.

"That's better. Now shut up and drive, Sergeant Major Fuery."

It seemed like he always got on Hawkeye's nerves. Why did he agree to be their chauffeur? He felt his temperature rise as he tightened his grip on the wheel and focused on the road.

After what seemed like an eternity, they pulled into the train station. Riza waited for Ed to get out and then turned to Fuery.

"Listen, I apologize that I was so rude to you back there, but I specifically told you to leave the Colonel out of our conversations around Ed."

"I know. I'm really sorry Lieutenant." He looked down in shame.

"Come on, cheer up. I'm cancelling the order I gave you. I was just trying to get you to shut up."

He lifted his head and grinned at her. "Thanks, Lieutenant! And from now on, I promise I'll watch my mouth."

"Good. I'm going to hold you to that promise."

He nodded. "You should go. You don't want to miss your train."

"Right. Thanks for giving us a ride. I owe you one." She winked at him and opened her door. However, she seemed to immediately change her mind because she closed it.

He looked at her with concern. "Is something wrong, Hawkeye?"

"Will you relay a message?"

"Of course! What is it?" he asked earnestly.

"Inform the Colonel that if I find out he's been excessively flirting while I'm gone, I'll shoot his dick off," she told him with a sly smirk.

He laughed incredulously. "Yes ma'am!"

And with that, Fuery watched as she exited the car to join Ed and Hayate on the train. Damn, she was one hell of a woman. He wouldn't want to be in her position, though: loving one person but being married to another. Yes, he knew the truth. He could just sense it in their behavior. And after seeing her cold disposition around Ed, it only confirmed his suspicions. He also knew that if he told Hawkeye that he knew the truth, she would shoot his dick off, too. He smiled to himself and started the drive to Central Command to pass on the message between lovers.

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**AN: Thank you to the few who have written reviews! Keep them coming! I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! More to come soon! :)**


	4. Catching Fire

**AN: Ok! So I'm finally getting to some action scenes. Hopefully this chapter will prove interesting! My heart was literally racing when I wrote this, so I hope you like it!**

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**Chapter 4: Catching Fire**

From the moment Riza stepped on the train, she knew something was off. Whatever it was, she tried to ignore it; however, the feeling of impending doom kept creeping back into her mind. What was wrong with her? She tried taking deep breaths, that didn't work. She tried playing with Hayate, that didn't work either. She even tried getting frisky with Ed, but it was to no avail.

"Ed, we need to get off the train."

"What? Why?" he asked, quite shocked that she was saying such a thing after getting so intimate with him just moments ago.

"Let's just say my Hawkeye senses are tingling. Something is not right with this train. We're getting off at the nex-" Her sentence was cut off by a loud explosion in the train car in front of them. Riza felt their own car detach from the tracks and they started to roll down what seemed like an extremely steep hill. When they finally stopped rolling, she tried to make out what exactly was happening, but she couldn't because her vision was still spinning. She reached a hand up to her forehead to attempt to regain her surroundings, but it didn't seem to help. She closed her eyes for a few moments, and then reopened them. Ah, that's better. At least now she could see straight.

She took a moment to process where she was. The roof of their train car had busted open on the way down the hill, but she had managed to stay inside. She attempted to stand up, but she immediately felt light-headed. What the hell was wrong with her? She patted herself down to check for any injuries.

Oh. There were multiple shards of glass pierced into her left leg, she definitely had a few broken ribs, and there was a rather large gash under her right ear. The latter was bleeding profusely. Shit. She was _not_ going to die because of a stupid train. She winced as she eased her jacket off, and then ripped a long strip to use as a tourniquet. Well, here goes nothing, she thought. She wrapped the strip around her neck, just below her jaw line, and pulled. She knew it needed to be done, but she couldn't stop herself from screaming in pain. She had tightened it enough so that it would slow the bleeding, but not tight enough to cut off the blood supply to her head.

Alright. Now that the bleeding was taken care of, she turned her attention to her leg. As she looked closer, she could tell that most of the glass shards had penetrated deep into her skin, so she figured that it would be best to leave them there. As for her ribs, there really wasn't anything she could do except push through the pain.

This time she succeeded in standing up when she went to do so. Feeling proud of herself, she slowly made her way to the exit of the train car. Smoke and flames quickly clouded her vision. She buried her mouth in the bend of her arm and started to walk into the haze. As she was walking, a light breeze formed and the smoke cleared just enough for her to see the rest of the train.

Oh God. There were bodies…everywhere. Men, women, children. It looked more like a war zone than a train wreck. She fell to her knees and retched into the grass.

…Ed! Hayate! She needed to find them. Now.

She stood up and started searching every square inch for her husband and dog.

"Ed! Hayate! If you can hear me, say something! Make a noise! Anything!" She was still as she listened, but she heard nothing. She started to panic. What if they died? She felt tears start to well up in her eyes. What if they're gone? What if she never saw them again? Her temperature rose and her heart began to race. Why did the train derail? Why did they even go on this stupid vacation? She found herself on her knees, the world reeling around her.

She suddenly collected herself. Get it together, Riza. You're going to find them and they're going to be just fine. Come on. Find them!

"Ed! Hayate! Please!" This time, she heard a rustle in the bush beside her. She quickly grabbed her pistol in the waist of her pants and turned, ready to shoot. Her body relaxed when she saw that it was none other than Hayate who emerged from the bush. She holstered her weapon and bent down to comfort him. "Thank God I found you," she whispered as she looked him in the eye. "We need to find your dad, do you understand? We need to find Ed."

As if on cue, he started to sniff the ground around his feet. He seemed to sense something, because he barked and started walking. Riza followed closely as he continued to sniff for Ed's scent. Eventually, he stopped in front of a large pile of rubble. Her eyes widened when she realized what Hayate was trying to tell her.

"He's in there, boy?" she asked him as she pointed to the mound.

He looked her, sniffed the wreckage again, then looked back at her and barked in approval.

She was in no condition to sift through something of this magnitude, but the longer she waited, the less chance Ed would make it out alive. With that in mind, she began to sort through the pile of twisted metal, body parts, and other miscellaneous debris.

* * *

"SIR!" Fuery yelled as he barged into Roy's office.

"What is it? Have you forgotten to knock?" Roy looked up from his paperwork with annoyance.

It took Fuery a moment to catch his breath. "Sir, we just received a report of a train wreck."

"What does that have to do with anythi…?" Oh dear God, no. "Sergeant Major Fuery you give me every detail this instant!"

"The train derailed and collapsed down a hillside. Maximum casualties, sir." He stared down at his feet and braced himself for what he was about to say next. "No known survivors."

"Damn it!" Roy pounded his fist on the desk in front of him. Fear started to creep into his thoughts. Surely Riza had survived! She wouldn't let herself be killed by a train accident. "Do we know why the train derailed?"

"Preliminary reports say that an explosion caused the derailment, but that hasn't been confirmed."

"An explosion? What the fuck!" He started to lose control. "I need to go. Where did it derail?"

"A few miles west of East City, sir."

"Alright. I'm going to go survey the area. You stay here and run the office while I'm away," he commanded.

"No, sir. I'm coming with you."

"Like hell you are! I'm going alone. You're staying. That's an order, Sergeant Major!"

"…yes, sir." Fuery saluted as the Colonel exited the office.

As Roy made his way out of Central Command, his only thoughts were about Riza. Was she alive? Was she injured? The more he thought about her, the more urgent his movements became. He finally made it to a military car and took it for himself. Once he made it out of Central, he slammed his foot down on the gas pedal and drove as quickly as he could towards East City.

* * *

After what seemed like days, Riza finally found something of Ed's in the rubble: his automail arm. She gasped as she grabbed it and realized that it was not attached to Ed. Damn it! She thought that she might have finally found him. She sighed heavily and carried his mechanical arm over to Hayate. "Watch this for me, okay? He's going to need Winry to fix that." Hayate looked up at her and barked softly. She smiled, took a seat next to him, and laid back. "I'm not feeling too good, boy. Why don't you look for Ed for a while?" He wagged his tail and walked over to the pile. He was such a smart dog.

After just a few minutes, Hayate started barking furiously. He ran over to Riza and pulled on the bottom of her pant leg with his mouth. She flew to her feet and followed him to a specific part of the heap. "Ed? Are you in there?"

She heard a moan and her heart skipped a beat.

"Ed! I'm going to get you out, okay?"

"…Riza?" His voice was weak and clearly confused.

"Yes, it's me. I'm coming to get you. Just hold on a little longer!" She started digging desperately, and, with the help of Hayate, she found him. After getting the last piece of rubble off him, she gently lifted his head and put it in her lap. She moved a few strands hair out of his eyes and smiled down at him.

"Hi…" Ed managed to whisper. He tried to smile, but every muscle in his body ached. A wave of relief rushed over both of them as she bent down and lightly kissed him.

Suddenly, Riza felt very faint. She had used every ounce of energy she had left to find him and get him out alive. Now that she had accomplished her goal, her body seemed to be shutting down. "Ed…I think I'm going to pass out." The last thing she remembered was Ed's face looking at her quizzically as the world around her went black.

* * *

**Please leave reviews! Knowing that you guys are enjoying what I write gives me motivation to keep writing! On the other hand, if you don't like what I write, please say so! Wanting to be a better writer motivates me as well :) Thanks!**


	5. Fullmetal vs Flame

**Please take a look at the AN at the bottom when you're done! Thanks for reading!**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Fullmetal vs. Flame**

Roy saw plumes of smoke in the distance and figured that was where he needed to go. He swore that if Riza was hurt…or worse…he'd never forgive himself. He should have just denied her request for leave. How could he have been so stupid?

After a few minutes he found himself right above the source of the smoke. It looked as if he was the first one to respond to the scene, which made him extremely nervous. He got out of the car and carefully made his was down the hill. He felt a knot form in his throat when he saw the wreckage. How could anyone survive such chaos? He shivered when he realized the carnage surrounding him. So many bodies, so much smoke. It was all so overwhelming. All he wanted to do was find Riza.

"Riza! Are you out there?" he yelled into the haze.

"Colonel Mustang, is that you?"

That was definitely not Riza's voice. In fact, it was the last voice he wanted to hear: the Fullmetal Alchemist's. "Ed? Where are you? Is Riza with you?"

"Yeah she's right here, but she doesn't look so good. Just follow my voice!"

Roy finally made it to the origination of Ed's voice. His heart sank at the sight before him. Riza was passed out and bleeding, Ed was missing his automail arm, and even Hayate looked worse for wear. Roy immediately jogged over and kneeled down to lift Riza's head. He sighed in relief when he saw that she was breathing steadily.

"I'm sorry, Mustang. She spent all of her energy getting me out of that rubble over there and then just passed out. I obviously lost my arm, and I can't move my damn automail leg, either. I feel completely useless. My wife did everything she could to save me, but now when she needs my help, I can't even move." Ed's conviction wavered, tears rolling down his cheeks.

Roy looked at Riza's face and smiled. She looked so peaceful as she slept. "It's not your fault, Ed. I'm here now. I'm going to get you guys to safety."

Ed nodded and glanced in his direction. "Please get her out of here," he pleaded urgently.

Roy acted accordingly and gently lifted Riza into his arms, cradling her like a baby. As he was making his way up the incline, she started to stir.

He felt the need to reassure her, so he whispered to her lovingly, "Hey there beautiful. Listen, I'm getting you out of this wreck and I'm going to get you help." His voice trembled, but he quickly steadied it, willing to remain strong for her. "Stay with me ok? I wouldn't be able to live without you, so don't die on me."

Her eyes shot open at the sound of his voice, and she was clearly surprised to see him. "…Roy?"

"Yup. The one and only." He looked down at her with a warm smile and softly kissed her.

She smiled back at him and snuggled into his chest. "You should've stayed at the office." Even though she meant what she said, she was also thankful that he was here with her. She needed him now more than ever. She was exhausted physically and emotionally, and right now he was her only source of comfort.

"Are you kidding me? There's no way I would've been able to stay there knowing that you could be hurt." He heard her sigh and felt her muscles relax. "How are you holding up?" he asked. When she didn't respond, he stopped walking and looked down at her with concern. He laughed lightly when he saw that she was just sleeping.

At last, he reached the top of the hill and carefully placed her in the back seat of his car. She stirred again and looked up at him. "Where are Ed and Hayate?"

"I have to go back to get them. Will you be okay waiting here by yourself?"

She groaned. "Don't leave me…"

"I'll be right back, alright?" He bent over and kissed her deeply.

She reached up and ran a hand through his hair as she kissed him back. She just wanted to feel his lips against hers forever. This traumatic event had made her realize that she didn't ever want to be separated from him.

He eventually succeeded in pulling away from her. "I have to go get Ed and Hayate, love. Please don't worry. I'll be back before you know it." He kissed her forehead and turned around to finish his mission.

* * *

Ed had seen how carefully Mustang picked up Riza; how he held her in his arms. He could have even described Mustang's actions as loving. Ed shook his head in disbelief. No way. They're old friends! Of course he's going to treat her well. They're like brother and sister…right? His heart wanted to believe this, but his mind kept screaming at him to see that Mustang was in love with her. There was only one question in Ed's mind as he saw Mustang approaching through the smoke: Did Riza love him back?

"So…" Ed started to speak, but Roy cut him off.

"Whatever you have to say can wait. We need to hurry up and get back to Riza."

Ed nodded and Roy helped him to his feet. "Go ahead and lean on me if you need to. I won't tell her," Roy joked as he winked at Ed.

"Oh, come on you're just being stupid! I thought we were going to save the chit-chat for later." He rolled his eyes as he attempted to hobble up the hill on his good leg. Hayate looked up at him in concern.

"Seriously, you need help. I'm not giving you a choice." Roy wrapped an arm under Ed's shoulder and lifted upwards.

"I don't need your help, Mustang!" Ed yelled as he tried to pull away.

"What's your problem? Just let me help!"

"You're the problem! You're in love with my wife!" he screamed.

Roy growled and pushed Ed to the ground. He saw Hayate bare his teeth, but he didn't care. "…what did you just say?" Roy could feel his blood pressure rising as he glared into Ed's golden eyes.

"You're in love with Riza, aren't you?" Ed stared right back at Roy, his eyes pleading for an answer.

"…yes, I love her." Roy couldn't believe that he had just admitted that to Ed. What was he thinking? His mind started to panic as he thought of excuses to give, but he came up empty.

"Does she love you back?"

Roy shrugged. "You're going to have to ask her." He could see Ed was getting frustrated. This was not going to end well.

"No! You know, so tell me!" His face turned blood red as he raised his voice once again.

"You need to ask her yourself, you coward!" Roy responded with equal volume.

"Coward? Who the fuck are _you_ to call _me_ a coward? You probably loved her even before we got married, so why did you let her marry me? Why didn't you tell her you love her?"

"She's been my subordinate for ages! You know the frat laws! We can't marry! If the higher ups found out we'd be discharged or worse!"

This conversation had become a screaming match, and it was draining the energy out of both of them.

Ed heaved a heavy sigh. "Listen, Mustang. Just don't try anything with my wife, alright? Like you said, nothing could come of you guys being together, so let's just stop talking about it."

"Yeah…" was all Roy could think of saying. He was thankful that Ed had ended their bantering, but he was still curious about something. "I have a question before we completely drop the subject, if you don't mind."

"What is it?"

"How did you figure it out?" He reached out a hand to help Ed off the ground.

Ed accepted his hand and got to his feet. Well…foot. "The way you picked her up and held her. It was obvious that you were embracing her like a lover instead of a subordinate."

Roy steadied him and they continued their trek up the hill with a now relaxed Hayate. After moments of silence Roy asked, "It was that noticeable?"

"Yeah…"

"Damn. I'm sorry. I really didn't want to get into an argument with you. You're good for her, and she's good for you. I'll leave the subject alone now."

Roy really wanted to rub the fact that he was fucking Riza in Ed's face, but he decided that he just needed to stop talking.

"No worries. Cheer up!" Ed looked over and gave him a genuine smile.

Roy couldn't help but smile back. Shit. Ed really was a good guy. He deserved a woman who actually loved him. With that realization, Roy actually started to pity Ed a little. Along with the pity, a pang of guilt also crept into Roy's mind. It was his own fault that Ed was stuck in a non-reciprocal marriage. Was it right to manipulate a human being for the gain of another? He felt sick at the thought of breaking things off with Riza just to be fair to Ed. He would have to talk with her about his concerns later. She always knew what to say (and do) to make him feel better.

After a lot of one-legged hopping and patience, the two men and their canine made it up the incline. They got to the car and Ed took the passenger's seat while Roy clambered down behind the wheel. Ed turned around to look at his wife, who appeared to be fast asleep. Little did he know that she had heard their entire conversation echo up the hill, and was going to have a few choice words for both of them when she could muster the strength to talk.

* * *

**AN: So I know this wasn't my best chapter, but I wanted there to be Roy/Ed interactions, so what better than an argument over Riza? It may have been too soon for Ed to find out Roy's feelings, but he still doesn't know if Riza loves Roy back, so there's still tension there *hint hint*. I hope to update soon, but there's a possibility that I will start slowing down because I just started a new job (yikes!). ****Anyways thanks again for reading! Please leave reviews, they really are appreciated!**


	6. Wake Me Up

**AN: I want to make a shout out to the guest who wrote the review that gave me the idea for this chapter. I'm not sure who you are, but thank you! Also, I've started a new style of writing by using italics to portray the character's thoughts in first person. I feel that it gives them more personality. Let me know how you like it!**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Wake Me Up**

Riza awoke with a start as her eyes flew open and her lungs rapidly filled with air. When she looked around, she saw Ed and Hayate sleeping, and noticed that they were all riding…a train. She started to panic. _Shit! Why are we on a train? Didn't we just crash in one of these fucking things? Wait a second… _She reached a hand up to her neck, expecting there to be bandages, but there was nothing. She pushed against her ribs: nothing. She rolled up her left pant leg: nothing! She glanced back over at Ed, and saw that his automail arm still intact. _It was all just a dream? _She let out such a huge sigh that it woke up Hayate, who also looked very healthy._ Damn. They say your nightmares reflect your fears, but I didn't know that I was so afraid of trains…or of Ed finding out about me and Roy. It's been bothering me, but not any more than usual. I don't think so anyway. And what was all of that I was feeling for Ed while I was dreaming? I felt hopeless at the thought of losing him. I thought that feeling was only reserved for Roy? Is my mind trying to tell me that I'm afraid of falling for Ed? Fuck. Why can't my life just be uncomplicated for once?_

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Ed's yawning, who was starting his long process of waking up. He finally opened his eyes enough to look over at her. _He looks so cute when he first wakes up. …Goddammit, what are you thinking Riza?! Before you got on this train you hated the sight of him, and now you think you have feelings for him? You have to stop this! You love Roy, remember? Roy is the reason you're married to Ed in the first place!_

"What's wrong, love? You look like you've just seen a ghost. Are you feeling okay?" Ed scooted over and wrapped an arm around her waist.

She smiled at him. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bad dream is all."

"The war?" He pulled her closer.

"Not this time. Our train had wrecked. It just has me a little shaken up. You know how I am, always on the lookout for anything to go wrong."

Ed felt her tense up, so he brought a hand to her face and looked deep into her hazel eyes. _I hate it when she tries to hide stuff from me. As usual, she's telling me some of the truth, but not all of it. But this time it's different. She's really torn up about something._

"A train wreck, huh? You want to talk about it?" Their eyes still locked, he leaned in and kissed her softly.

Once again she smiled at his kindness. "I'm alright, Ed. You don't need to worry."

He shrugged and gave her a squeeze. "Okay, but you know you can talk to me when you're ready."

She leaned her head on his shoulder, and for once she was thankful for his company. "Thank you." She closed her eyes and drifted back off to sleep.

* * *

This time when she woke, it wasn't from a nightmare, but from Ed softly rubbing her arm. She slowly opened her eyes and caught him staring at her. Before she could think twice about it, she was blushing. _Seriously, Riza. You've got to get yourself together. You're blushing? What the fuck is wrong with you? ' .Ed. .Roy. Get the picture?_

"Are you sure you're okay?" Ed whispered in her ear as the train was coming to a stop. "We can go back if you really don't want to see Pinako and Winry."

His words brought her back to reality. "No, no I'm fine." She mustered a somewhat believable smile and began to gather their belongings. "However, I would like to make a phone call when we get off the train. Is that alright?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You're not going to call Colonel Mustang, are you? You're on vacation; you're not supposed to think about work."

"…maybe." She looked down at her feet in embarrassment. "I need to make sure he's not slacking off while I'm gone." _I just need to hear his voice. Something. Anything. I need to remember how much I love him before I spend a whole week with Ed._

The train ceased all movement.

Ed chuckled and nodded his head. "Of course it's alright. Just don't be too long, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll be back in a few minutes." She gave him a quick kiss and stepped off the train.

* * *

Riza picked up the payphone and put in the necessary coins. She dialed Roy's office number and waited. _Ring…ring…ring._

"Colonel Roy Mustang speaking."

"Colonel? It's Elizabeth." She figured since she was using an outside line it would be best to use her codename.

He recognized the tension in those three simple words and started to get worried. "…Elizabeth? Are you ok? What's wrong? Are you hurt? Do you—"

She cut him off. "Colonel! I'm fine. I just wanted to make sure you're not being lazy." _I need you, Roy._

They had known each other long enough to understand the meaning of the inflections in one another's tone. They could have a seemingly innocent conversation, but convey so much more by just their voices.

"Me? Lazy? Come on, Elizabeth. You know me! I would never!" _You know I'm always here for you._

She sighed. "Seriously. You need to be working hard, sir." _I shouldn't be bothering you._

"I am working hard!" _You're just being childish. Tell me what's wrong._

"Anyway, how are Fuery, Havoc, and the rest of the team? It's been forever since I've talked to them." _Are you alone?_

"Oh, they're fine. Working away, as usual." _Yes._

"That's good. And how's your sister? I heard she's getting married." _A long time away from you is going to be a problem._

"She's excited to plan all that wedding stuff. It's all pretty boring, if you ask me." _Ed's vacation plans are really cramping my style._

"I totally agree with you. I don't get all the commotion involved with weddings." _Same here. I'd much rather be with you._

Riza heard Havoc in the background and she figured she needed to end the call quickly. Apparently Roy was thinking the same thing, because he started to speak before she got the chance.

"Listen, Elizabeth, I've got to run. Official Colonel duties are calling my name." _I'd love to keep listening to your voice but you know I can't._

"Right, of course. You wouldn't want that mean First Lieutenant of yours to get mad." _Work hard. Try not to procrastinate like I know you will._

He laughed at her attempt of a joke. "Well I'll talk to you soon, okay?" _Don't be afraid to call._

"Alright, Colonel. Sounds good." _I love you._

"Okay. Bye, Elizabeth." _I love you too._

She put the phone on the receiver and a large grin grew on her face. _Amazing. One phone call is all I needed. But still, being away from him is just weird. I'll pull through it though. Roy and I are emotionally inseparable, even when we're physically separated. I'm sure of that now more than ever. _She walked away from the phone to join Ed and Hayate. Remnants of the smile she received from the call were still evident when she approached them.

"Hey you two. Sorry it took so long. The Colonel will do anything to stay away from paperwork a bit longer." She bent over and grabbed her suitcase. "Ready to go?"

Hayate barked in approval and Ed nodded.

"Let's get going."

* * *

After quite a while of awkward silence in the cab they had called, Riza and Ed finally made in to the Rockbell home. As they were walking to the front door, Riza looked over and saw that Ed was actually more uneasy than she was.

"Hey. You okay?" She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

Ed's only response was an extremely nervous laugh, which didn't make her feel any better. When they arrived at the door, Ed didn't move a muscle.

"Don't you think we should knock?" Riza asked, attempting to put some humor into her tone.

"Uh…yeah. I guess so."

She was about to knock but quickly changed her mind. _Whatever is bothering him needs to be fixed before we go in there. _"Wait a second. Come on, Ed. What's the matter?"

"I just…I just haven't seen them in a while. And Winry is probably going to get on my case about not taking care of my automail. And Pinako…well…she'll make me do stuff."

Her look changed from concern to amusement. "Oh? What kind of stuff?"

"Stuff I don't want to do."

"Ed! Seriously? Spit it out!" Now she felt more annoyed than amused.

His face turned blood-red as he yelled, "SHE'LL MAKE ME DRINK MILK, OKAY? GEEZ!"

Riza couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Milk? That's what you're nervous about? Come on you little baby, let's get inside."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO LITTLE HE COULD FIT INTO YOUR SHIRT POCKET?"

"Edward Elric, stop screaming or so help me I will tell Winry that you've been abusing her precious automail!"

His eyes widened and his face drained of all color as she turned and knocked on the door. _Well that shut him up pretty fast._

A few moments passed (enough time for Ed's face to regain some of its original pigmentation), and Pinako answered the door.

"Ed! Riza! Good to see you. Come in, come in." She stepped aside to let the couple enter and then closed the door behind them.

* * *

**AN: Let me know how you guys like it! PLEASE REVIEW! (And just fyi for anyone that cares, I'm working a full-time job AND I'm a full-time college student, so the next update may be as early as tomorrow, or much much later. It just depends on when I find the time.) Thanks for reading!**


	7. Family Ties

**AN: WHEW! Life has been kicking my butt, but here's the next chapter! I had to twist Ed's age a little so Riza wasn't marrying a minor, and I also took some liberties with the frat laws. Hope you guys like it! Oh, and I promise next chapter will have lots of Royai goodness ;)**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Family Ties**

Riza and Ed walked into the Rockbell home and set down their bags. Ed quickly gave Pinako a hug.

"It's good to see you, Granny. Where's Winry?"

_Glad to see he's got his priorities straight_, Riza thought to herself. _Oh, don't worry about me. I'm just your wife meeting your "family" for the first time. Geez, Ed. Were you really into Winry that much? Or are you just afraid of her?_

The sound of Pinako's voice drew Riza from her brooding.

"Oh she's just upstairs messing with some automail, as usual. WINRY! GET DOWN HERE!"

Riza winced at the sudden volume of Pinako's speech. _How can a woman so old yell so loudly?!_

Pinako noticed Riza's shock, and added a pleasant "please" in order for her to seem more grandmother-like.

A moment later, a tall, blonde, blue-eyed young woman emerged from the staircase. Riza had to stop herself from gawking. _Oh. Right. She's beautiful. Of course she's beautiful. Why the hell didn't Ed marry her? Why did he settle for someone plain like me? My life just keeps getting more and more fucked up._

"Hi! You must be Riza. It's really good to finally meet y—" Her eyes widened in recognition.

Ed looked at her with a mixture of fear and anxiety. "Winry? What's wrong?"

"She's…she's the lady that came with that Mustang guy to recruit you. She's one of the people who took you from us. …and you married her? Why didn't you tell us who she really was?" Her eyes began to well with tears.

Riza sighed, as she had anticipated a reaction similar to this. "Yes, Winry. I helped recruit Ed. But that had nothing to do with our marriage. We married for love, nothing else." _…well, it's true, just not in the sense that they're thinking of._

"Riza's right. I'm sorry that we didn't invite you two to the wedding, but we didn't invite anyone at all. I'm really sorry." He stared down at his feet, expecting a wrench to clobber his head, but it never came. He could hear soft sobs coming from Winry's direction. _Damn it, I did it again. I made her cry. I made the woman I love…I mean loved…cry. Get your head together, Ed. _

Seeing Winry had been a lot harder than he had imagined. They were childhood friends, kind of like Riza and Mustang were, but at one point they had a relationship that was more than friendship. Ed broke it off soon after becoming a state alchemist, and both of them were heartbroken. But Ed had to break up with her. He didn't want any harm to come to her or Pinako. Ever. He would do whatever it takes to keep them safe.

Soon after the break up, Ed joined Mustang's team and met Riza. There was an immediate connection between them, so he asked her on a date, much to Mustang's dismay. But he didn't care about that bastard. In fact, dating Riza had been a good way to get under his skin.

Ed didn't expect a lot to come of the relationship, but to his surprise, they grew more attached every day. After a year of dating, Ed decided to take a closer look at the frat laws. They stated that a person wasn't technically considered military personnel until they had turned 21, so at Ed's current age of 19, they could legally marry. With that in mind, Ed proposed, and she said yes. Shortly after, they decided that it would be best to elope so that their marriage was on a need-to-know basis. A couple of months after they tied the knot, Ed told Winry and Pinako. As expected, they were crushed that they weren't invited (or even told), but they had forgiven him eventually. …or so he thought.

And now there's this situation. Ed's wife was trying to console his childhood sweetheart. They apologized up and down, but were words ever going to be enough? Ed knew that Winry was still heartbroken, but, in all reality, so was he. _Did I marry Riza too soon? How can Winry and I ever look at each other without hostility? Damn this situation. Why did I even suggest we visit?_

Pinako decided to step in. "Winry, stop being such a child. You know it's not Riza's fault that you and Ed broke up. Get over it."

Riza's head snapped over to the old woman with shock. _Who talks to their granddaughter like that?_

"Granny's right. Please understand." Ed kept his face pointed towards the ground.

After choking back a few sobs and plenty of sniffling, Winry seemed to pull herself together. "Damn you, Ed. I'll never be able to forgive you."

"…I know. But I'm still sorry."

"You're happy though?"

He finally looked up and a smirk crossed his face. "Yes. I'm very happy."

"…that's good. I'm happy if you're happy." Winry moved her gaze to Riza, who had just been staring at the two of them. "And you're the one who's making him happy, so I'm grateful to you."

She then walked over to Riza and…hugged her. Really hugged her. Riza didn't sense any animosity or tension. It was a truly genuine hug. _Amazing how she can change her mind about a person so quickly._

They pulled away and Riza smiled at Winry. "Thank you. It means a lot."

Winry actually smiled back at her and her whole demeanor had changed. "Yup! Anyway." She turned to Ed. "I need to look at your automail. You HAVE been taking care of it, HAVEN'T you?"

He laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah! …of course!"

Winry stared daggers at him. Nobody knows how she got there so quickly, but in the next instant her wrench was making contact with his head.

Riza had heard stories about Winry from Ed, but she never imagined they would actually be accurate. She was a bit concerned about the huge welt growing on his forehead, but she figured he was used to it by now. Before Ed could fully gain his surroundings, Winry was pulling him off to the other room.

"Is she always like this?" Riza asked Pinako.

"Oh, yes. At least around Ed. When he gets on her last nerve, this is what she becomes. Sorry about that little scene about you and Ed."

"It's okay. I can understand her frustration."

After a few moments of silence, Pinako turned to look Riza straight on. "Do you love Ed?"

Riza was a little taken aback by Pinako's bluntness. Everything about the woman screamed hardened, badass grandma. _Does nothing get past this woman?_

"Yes, I love Ed." _Do I though? _"Why would you ask such a question? I married him, didn't I?"

"Yes, you married him. But people marry for lots of reasons. To convince people of something, for instance." _Come on, tell me the truth. I might be old, but I'm not blind._

"Why would I have agreed to elope if I wanted to make a social statement?"

_Damn, she's good. _"Point taken. I'm not trying to accuse you of anything; I just want to make sure that Ed gets the best life possible."

Riza nodded in agreement. "I want the same for him."

"Well good. We agree."

* * *

A couple of days later, Riza was still shaken up by her conversation with Pinako. She had been open with Ed and told him about it, but he didn't seem to be too concerned. "_Granny is just looking out for me. Don't worry about it." _That's what he had said. But she couldn't shake the feeling that Pinako was out to reveal her real reason for marrying Ed. Somehow, she knew. Not many people made Riza uncomfortable, but Pinako was definitely becoming one of them.

On the fourth morning of staying at the Rockbell's, Riza awoke to Ed's automail arm wrapped tightly around her waist, to the point that it was starting to hurt.

"Ed. Please loosen your grip."

He was still sound asleep.

She shook him a little, but to her misfortune, it only made his grip tighter. She groaned in agony.

"EDWARD! LET GO OF ME!"

He shot up, ready to fight whatever had been invading his nightmares. "What? Huh? What's wrong?"

"Your arm was crushing me. It's really strong." She moved her nightshirt up so she could look at it. She winced when she saw it was red and bruising.

Ed's eyes widened and he started to panic. "I'm so sorry, Riza. Shit! I'm sorry. I…I didn't mean to!"

His reaction made her chuckle a little, but that only made the pain worse. "It's alright, Ed. Calm down." She carefully leaned over and kissed him. "Really, I'm fine."

They soon heard footsteps running up to their room, and Winry burst through the door. "What's wrong? I heard yelling! What happened?" She saw they were still in bed, with Riza's nightshirt pulled up. Her face turned the color of tomatoes. "OH! I'm sorry guys…I should've knocked. God I'm such an idiot sometimes!" She turned around and slammed the door shut.

Ed couldn't contain his laughter. "Could you…?" He cut himself off with uncontrollable snickers. "Could you imagine what she was thinking?" More howls of laughter followed for quite a while, and Riza couldn't help but join in, even though it killed her side. They heard more footsteps, and once again Winry surged through their door.

"HEY! It's not nice to laugh!"

They were just starting to settle down, but Winry's outburst made their laughter as hard as ever, with tears starting to stream down their faces.

"Oh my God, Winry! You should've seen your face!" Ed was pointing at her with one hand and holding his side with the other.

Riza was trying to determine whether her tears were of pain or happiness. She eventually decided on both.

Winry's face once again turned bright red. "Yeah? Well…you're a pipsqueak!" She just wanted to say anything to wipe that grin off his face.

And she succeeded. Both him and Riza immediately stopped laughing.

The color of Ed's face now matched Winry's. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO TINY HE CAN ONLY BE SEEN WITH A MICROSCOPE?!"

"YOU! THAT'S WHO, JERK!"

"AUTOMAIL FREAK!"

"Did you hear something, Riza? It sort of sounded like a little brat with a Napoleon complex."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE SHOULD FEAR BEING CRUSHED BY ANTS?"

Winry made a sound of extreme exasperation. "Whatever, Ed. Just try not to hurt Riza anymore, okay?"

Ed and Riza just stared at her as she exited the room, mouths agape.

"She never gives up that easily. She must be becoming quite fond of you."

Riza laughed and smiled softly. "Yeah, maybe so."

* * *

A few more days past, and it was time for Ed and Riza to leave Resembool. They were at the train station saying their goodbyes to Winry and Pinako, when Winry suddenly hugged Riza.

She whispered into Riza's ear, "You're really good for him. Thank you…sister."

When they separated, both of them were verging on tears. They nodded to each other in understanding and hugged again.

After all the hugging and goodbyes, Ed and Riza got on the train, Hayate in tow. They looked at each other and smiled wide, their hearts full of happiness and satisfaction.

Riza continued to smile when she said, "I'm so glad we made this trip."

Ed kept his smile as well. He kissed her and responded simply: "Me too."

* * *

**AN: Yay happy ending! Please leave reviews! Let me know what you readers think! Throw out ideas! (Shout out to Sam's Laptop for jogging my creativity with Pinako)**


	8. The Game of Life

**Chapter 8: The Game of Life**

Roy checked the clock on his kitchen wall for the third time within the past five minutes. _Come on, come on! Hurry up! Only ten more minutes until Riza's supposed to report in for her shift. Okay, maybe I can wait that much longer…maybe._ He fidgeted in his seat and stared out the window. When he suddenly heard banging on his front door, it nearly made him shriek. _She's early!_

He rushed over to open the door and saw Riza standing there, looking professional (_and sexy_) in her military uniform. Brimming with excitement, he grinned as he grabbed her arm and hauled her inside. He slammed the door shut and pulled her close while lust filled his gaze.

"Hello, sir. Nice to see you," she said rather plainly.

He poked her nose. "Stop it, Riza! Don't mess up my…" He let his voice drop a few pitches before he purred, "…perfect seducing techniques."

She rolled her eyes and pushed him away. _I love messing up his "techniques." It gets him so worked up when they don't have any effect. _She laughed inwardly at this thought, but didn't let it show. _I'm going to make him work for my company. He'll thank me later; he just doesn't know it yet._

She walked into the kitchen to make herself some tea. "I'm here reporting for duty, Colonel. I suggest you get some rest." She got out a teapot and starting boiling some water.

"Awe, Riza! Come on! I've waited a week to see you and now you're giving me the cold shoulder? That's just cruel." This last part he said with his oh-so-sad puppy dog face.

_Ugh, he's pulling out the big guns. But I can't let him win. Not yet. _"Don't be a child, sir. Go to bed, will you?"

A smirk grew on Roy's face. _A child, huh? That's what you think? Well guess what? Two can play this game, sweetheart. _"Fine! Goodnight, Lieutenant." He grinned in approval at the shocked look on Riza's face. _She won't be able to stay away for long. She wants it just as much as I do._ He violently turned towards his bedroom and stomped inside.

Riza couldn't believe what just happened. _Damn it! He's too fucking smart. He turned the tables on me! Great, now _I'm _going to be the one begging for _his _company. I guess I knew better. He always finds a way to get what he wants._ She finished making her tea and sat down on his couch. _I guess I better find something to do for a while. If it's a game he wants, then a game he'll get. Maybe he'll give in before I do. _After taking the last sip of her drink, she pulled out four pistols from various holsters around her body. _Good thing I brought my cleaning kit. This should keep me entertained for a while._

Roy snuck a peek into the living room, only to see Riza fiddling with her firearms. _Fuck! I thought I had her! Are we playing the waiting game now or something? This is just ridiculous! I figured we'd be all over each other as soon as she got here, but I guess not. Goddamn it. I want her so bad! Psh. I feel like I'm back to when we first made love. I had wanted her so bad and for so long that it nearly killed me. …wait. Is that what's she trying to do? Make me remember what it was like when we first slept together? If so, she's doing one hell of a job. …I'd just wish she'd hurry and give up already._

A couple of hours later, she was done cleaning her pistols, and she decided that Roy had waited long enough. She had waited long enough, too. She walked to over to the entrance of his door and knocked unnecessarily.

"Ah, Lieutenant. I was wondering when you'd show up." The lustful look in his eyes returned upon seeing her.

"I was wondering the same thing, Colonel." She walked over to him and they immediately started to remove each other's clothing.

"You know, you really are a smart one." Thuds followed her shoes hitting the floor.

"I could say the same about you." His shirt was thrown across the room. Her pants were around her ankles.

"You had me thinking about our first time together." Bits and pieces of garments continued to scatter the ground.

"That was the point. Did it work?" He lifted her naked body and set her on the bed. She looked into his eyes and saw that they were full of fire. It was a look of longing she hadn't seen since…their first time. She giggled. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Of course it worked." He buried his face in her neck, planting kisses on her warm skin. "Although…" He moved his lips behind her ear and nipped the spot he knew she couldn't resist. She moaned with absolute pleasure. "…I've learned some things since then."

She ran a loving hand through his thick, midnight-colored hair. "Yes, I suppose you have." A sly smirk appeared on the corner of her mouth. "Would you care to demonstrate?"

"…so does that mean I won?" They both laughed, clearly amused by the trick they tried to play on each other. But in the end, it didn't matter who won; they both felt like the luckiest people on earth.

* * *

Exhausted from their nighttime escapade, they had fallen asleep unusually fast. However, Riza was suddenly ripped from her slumbering by crushing nausea. She viciously pulled off her covers and ran to the bathroom. Just in time, she crouched over the toilet and emptied her stomach.

She tried to keep herself quiet, but she didn't succeed for very long. Her face still buried in the toilet, she heard Roy's footsteps approach and felt a reassuring hand on her back. With his other hand he bunched up her hair to hold it up. He spoke in a low, calming voice as he soothed her. Her dry heaves continued for what seemed like forever, but finally, they ceased. Without another word, Roy grabbed a small towel and poured cold water over it. He cleaned off her face, then gathered her in his arms, walked her to the bed, and pulled the sheets around her. He climbed in beside her and stroked her cheek.

His face covered with worry, he spoke softly and said, "Do you need to see a doctor? You never get sick."

She reached over and stroked his cheek similarly to how he was stroking hers. "No, I'm fine."

She might have appeared to be calm on the outside, but her thoughts were running wild. _What the hell was that all about? He's right, I never get sick. I can't remember that last time I felt nauseous, either. It's probably nothing to be worried about. …I hope._

He pulled her close, allowing her head to rest on his chest. With a heavy sigh, he wrapped an arm around her. A content smile lingered on his face before he drifted off into a deep sleep.

_Well I'm glad he can fall asleep easily. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be getting anymore sleep tonight. Goddamn nausea. What the fuck is wrong with me?_

* * *

For Riza, the morning couldn't come soon enough. Worry, anxiety, and lingering nausea had prevented her from sleeping at all since she emptied her stomach. She had decided to go see a doctor, but didn't want to tell Roy. _If nothing is wrong, then I would worry him for nothing. It's better this way._

At the scheduled time of six o'clock, she got up to take a shower. She took her time, wishing that the sickening nausea would go away, but it was to no avail. She finished, dried off, and started to put her uniform on. Halfway through getting dressed, her eyes widened as she dashed to the toilet. Once again, the contents of her stomach revealed themselves, but this time she managed to stay quiet. Quickly resuming her morning routine, she finished dressing. She went out to the kitchen, but immediately decided against having breakfast. _Better wait to hear what the doctor has to say. _She took a peek at the kitchen clock. _Damn. It's already 7. I took too long of a shower. I need to get going. _She walked into the bedroom and leaned over to kiss Roy on the cheek, then grabbed her bag and started towards the front door.

His eyes shot open, only to see Riza walking away. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked with a smirk.

She turned around and looked at him. "I need to go."

"Well fine, but you gotta give me a better kiss first."

She rolled her eyes. "Roy, I might be sick and I don't want to infect you."

He rolled out of bed and swiftly made his way towards her, despite her repeated warnings to stay away. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her delicately, as if he would break her if he squeezed too hard.

They remained in each other's arms for a while, until Riza decided that she _really_ needed to go.

"Roy…"

"I know, I know. You need to go. Are you sure you're feeling all right? I'm still worried about what happened last night."

She smiled softly, running a hand down his face. "Yeah, I'm sure. It's probably just one of those 24-hour stomach bugs. I'll be back tonight, okay?" She looked up at him and allowed a quick kiss.

"Fine. Hurry back."

"I always do."

* * *

She had left Roy's apartment and was now headed towards the only doctor she trusted – Dr. Knox. Knox had been a comrade of Roy's during the war, and Roy trusted him, so Riza did too.

She arrived at his office and gave it a few good knocks. Known for his love of alcohol, Knox was probably in a drunken stupor at this time of the morning. She heard footsteps, along with plenty of crashing, banging, and cursing after each step.

"Who are you and what the hell do you want?" a gruff, slightly slurred voice asked from behind the door.

"Knox, it's Hawkeye. I need to talk to you."

The door cracked enough for Riza to see the condition he was in: his hair was wild and shaggy, his eyes were bloodshot, he had a bottle of rum in his hand, he smelled filthy, and he didn't appear to be wearing pants. _Ugh…was this really the right person to see?_

"Riza Hawkeye. Probably the last person I expected to be knocking on my door." He opened the door fully to let her in. She obliged, but nearly passed out by the stench that his house was emitting. Her nausea didn't help, either.

He followed her inside and clumsily slumped onto a couch. "What can I do for you, Hawkeye?"

"I…I need your opinion."

"Yeah? What about? Come on, spit it out. No need to hide anything here."

"I've been feeling nauseous."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "…so? Everybody feels nauseous every once in a while. Seriously, Riza. What's wrong?"

She sighed as she tried to think of a way to phrase her thoughts without sounding blunt, but she failed, so she decided to be straightforward.

"I think I'm pregnant."

* * *

**AN: OK! Hurray for angst! I had to play around with Knox's character a little. I based him off of Haymitch from The Hunger Games, in case any of you were wondering. Rough around the edges, but yet kind and gentle. I'll expand more on his character in future chapters. (Catching Fire's movie version was SO AWESOME!)**

**Hope you guys liked it. I'm excited for the ideas that are running through my mind of how to continue! I know I say it every time, but please review! Your opinions and ideas really do matter to me. Another shout out to Sam's Laptop - just for allowing me to bounce ideas off of you. Thanks for reading and Happy Thanksgiving to all of my readers in the USA! :)**


	9. Knowledge is Power

**AN: Thanks for the lovely reviews! They gave me a kick in the ass to write this chapter faster! Plus I already have half of the next chapter written! Hope you like it!**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Knowledge is Power**

It had been a month since Riza visited Dr. Knox. Her nausea had faded to a manageable level, but she still couldn't shake the feeling that she was pregnant. _Why don't they come up with something to tell you for sure? This is so frustrating!_ Despite her antagonizing thoughts, she decided to spare them from both Ed and Roy. _Why upset them over nothing? …if it's nothing. Fuck my life. _She began to think over the short conversation she had had with Dr. Knox.

_"Pregnant? What makes you think that?" _the doctor had questioned.

_"I just have this gut feeling, Knox. Can't you give me any insight?"_

_"I'm sorry, I can't. I might be a doctor, but I'm only good with burnt corpses. I'm not much help with living people, especially babies."_

_"I know, but you still can't—"_

_"NO. I can't. That's final. Go see a real doctor if you're that concerned."_

And with that, Riza had bid him farewell and left.

_Why couldn't he have a little pity on me? He couldn't have made an exception? All I wanted was for him to feel my stomach or something. Do ANYTHING, not just sit around and wallow in his alcohol. Goddammit. Who can I trust anymore? _

And then it hit her. _Rebecca. I can talk to Rebecca. She's got a big mouth, but she wouldn't risk our friendship by blabbering…right? _She had the day off of work, and Ed was out on a mission in East City, so she firmly decided to call her best friend. She rolled over in her bed and picked up the phone on her nightstand.

After a few rings she heard Rebecca's voice on the other line.

"Hello?"

"Becca? It's Riza."

"RIZA! I'M SO GLAD—" Sheer shock made Riza lose her grip on the phone and fumbled with it from one hand to another. She caught it just in time to hear: "—BEEN SO LONG!"

_Right. Becca is your loud counterpart, remember? _"Uh, yeah. It's good to hear from you, too."

"So what's up?" Rebecca's voice had miraculously returned to a somewhat normal level.

"Well, I wanted to tell you about something."

"Oh, no. Did you shoot Ed? Please tell me you left that man alone. He's so good to you! Why would you shoot him? Damn—"

"BECCA!"

"…what?"

"I didn't shoot Ed. He's just fine."

"Oh good! Wait…you didn't shoot Mustang, did you? Or Hayate? Oh God, not Hayate! Mustang wouldn't be too much of a loss, though—"

"BECCA!"

"…yeah?"

"I didn't shoot anyone."

"Oh…well then why are you calling?"

"Are you free for lunch?"

"Sure! Noon at your favorite coffee shop?"

"Yeah, sounds good. See you then."

* * *

Riza walked up to the shop and took a seat at her usual table. A waiter saw her and decided to bring her what she always ordered – a small cup of coffee with a dash of cream and sugar. He sat the drink down in front of her and they smiled at each other.

"Thank you, Jason."

"You're welcome, Miss Riza."

After a few minutes, Riza stood as a cab drove up and Rebecca climbed out of it.

The moment Rebecca saw her friend, she took off in a sprint and nearly tackled her with excitement.

"Damn! How long has it been since I've seen you? 6 months? Way too long!"

Riza laughed as they pulled away. "I agree. We need to get together more often."

They took a seat at their table and Rebecca ordered a large premium iced coffee, which was her usual.

It all seemed so _normal_: two friends having their _normal_ coffee at their _normal_ meeting place. Nothing was unusual, except for Riza's secretly possible dilemma.

They enjoyed some small talk with their drinks for a while, but Rebecca couldn't hold in her questions any longer.

"So what's the real reason you called me here? You said you wanted to tell me about something."

"Yeah. I need someone to vent to, since I can't talk to Ed about it. Can you promise not to tell anyone? I swear, Becca. This is ONE thing you cannot tell ANYONE, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, all right. Get on with it!" Rebecca put down her coffee and leaned in with anticipation.

"Well…I think I'm pregnant." Riza winced with the expectation of her friend's reaction.

"WHAT!? PREGNANT? YOU'RE KIDDING ME RIGHT?" She let out a girly scream of excitement.

"Shut up, Becca! It's supposed to be a secret, remember?"

"Oh, yeah! Right. I mean…" She dropped her voice to a dull roar. "…that's so great! You and Ed are going to be such great parents!"

At the mention of Ed, Riza blushed. She didn't WANT Ed to be the father, but at the same time she knew that he SHOULD be.

"Wait…Ed's the father, right?"

Riza couldn't bring herself to lie to her best friend, so she just stared at her cup and said nothing.

Rebecca's eyes widened. "…RIGHT?"

Still staring at her drink, Riza offered a truthful response. "I don't know."

"What do you mean? Did you cheat on Ed?" Rebecca hissed.

"I wouldn't call it cheating…"

"If you don't know who the father of your baby is, then you cheated! Or…wait. Did you say cheat-ING?! As in currently? Right now?"

This time, Riza returned to her silence. She didn't want to dig herself into a deeper hole.

"Oh my GOD! Riza Hawkeye, you have to tell me who you're sleeping with. Now."

"I'm sleeping with my husband, Edward Elric."

"Don't give me that bull shit! Who ELSE are you fucking?"

"Nobody you care about." _Well, it's true._

"Riza. We've been best friends for how many years now? If you're gonna vent to me, then vent! Don't hold back!"

Riza sighed. _She's right. I need to tell someone. And she'd be perfect. But I should ask Roy first. He'd want to know. But…she's getting impatient, starting to question our friendship. Damn it._

"Fine." Riza got out the money for their drinks then started walking, Rebecca close behind.

"So? Who is it?" Rebecca asked impatiently.

Riza remained quiet and kept walking. When she was confident that they had gone far enough, she quickly turned around to face her friend.

"I'm sleeping with Roy."

"…Roy? Roy who?"

Riza rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "Roy Mustang!"

For once in her life, Rebecca was quiet, with her mouth agape. Eventually, she gathered her thoughts enough to spit them out. "Mustang. You're sleeping…with Mustang. AND NOW YOU'RE PREGNANT. What if the baby has black hair, Riza? What if it has his eyes? Ed would know right away!" She took a deep breath before she continued. "How long have you and Mustang been going at it?"

"…you don't want to know."

Rebecca walked straight towards Riza and breached her personal space. "Yes. I do."

"We were together even before Ed and I got married, okay? My marriage to Ed was just a cover-up."

Rebecca gawked. How could her mind wrap itself around all of this? "So…if it was just a cover-up, then why did you have sex with Ed?"

Riza chuckled. "You really think a man would get married and then not have sex? You're crazy! I had to sleep with him so he wouldn't get suspicious!"

"So you've never felt anything for Ed? Not even a little bit?"

"Of course I've had feelings for him. When you're around someone enough, they start to grow on you." Then Riza added, "And I don't mean that literally. He's still short."

Rebecca laughed arduously. "So you're not gonna tell either of them about the baby?"

"Nope. Not yet. Not until I know for sure if I'm pregnant. I don't want to worry them for nothing."

"Yeah, I understand. But I still can't believe all of this. It's a lot to take in."

"Yeah, well, just keep it to yourself. I trust you, Becca. You're my best friend. It feels good to be able to tell someone, so thank you."

"It's no biggie, really. You're my best friend too, you know? I'm glad I could be here for you."

They smiled and hugged, mutually thankful for each other's friendship.

Rebecca checked her watch. "Oh, man! I gotta get back to work!" She took off running towards Central Command and called from over her shoulder, "Sorry! We'll talk more later, okay?"

"Okay!" Riza yelled back as she waved goodbye.

* * *

A month later, Riza was almost absolutely sure she was pregnant. Either that or her abdomen was growing for no reason (and to Roy's amusement/bewilderment, her breasts were getting larger, too). She still hadn't told either of her men, but it was getting to the point where she couldn't hide it anymore. Her military uniform was getting too tight, and Roy was starting to tease her about gaining weight. But at an approximate 3 months into her pregnancy, how could anyone blame her for getting a little heavier?

She was lying in Roy's bed, debating with herself about telling him about the baby, when it happened. Her abdomen started sharply cramping and she felt a wet sensation coming from her lower half. She reached down and pulled her hand up, only for it to be covered in blood. Her eyes widened as she ran to the bathroom and slammed the door closed.

* * *

**AN: AHHHHH next chapter is gonna be so awesome! Look for an update within the next couple of days! After this week (finals) I should really be on a writing spree! Thanks for reading and your continued support! :)**


	10. Let it Out

**AN: I think this is a record! Two chapters in two days! WOOOOO! Anywho, please read the AN at the bottom when you're done reading. It explains a bunch lol. Oh and the chapter title, as well as parts of the chapter, are from the second ending song from Brotherhood, "Let it Out" by Miho Fukuhara.**

* * *

Roy walked in his bedroom and found the bed sheets covered in blood where Riza had been sleeping.

"Riza? Where are you?" he asked with panic lining his every word.

When he saw the bathroom light on, he rushed over and furiously knocked on the door.

"Riza?" He tried the knob. It was locked. "Riza, let me in!"

"Not now, Roy." Her voice sounded weak, but at least she was alive. Roy was somewhat relieved at this fact, but he was still extremely concerned.

"Are you okay? What's going on? Please talk to me!"

Silence.

"Riza, I'm going to kick down the door if you don't let me in!"

He didn't get a verbal response, but he heard a slight click of the door unlocking and he took that as an invitation.

He burst through the door to find Riza on the floor in a small pool of blood. He flew to her side and wrapped his arms around her.

"What's going on?"

"I…I had a miscarriage."

He gaped at her surprisingly calm face. "…you're pregnant?"

"Not anymore…"

At that moment, Roy saw that Riza had something clenched in her fist. He grabbed her hand and slowly forced it open. The sight made him go over to the toilet and empty his stomach. The tissue of the would-be baby was resting on her palm. It had developed enough to make out some of the baby's features, including a few little sprouts of _dark black_ hair. He trembled as he reached out and touched the baby's head.

"It was…mine?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Her voice had turned as cold as ice and she didn't meet his gaze.

"What…why…" Tears started to roll down his cheeks. "Why didn't you tell me?" He stood and looked at her with pain in his eyes.

She still wouldn't look at him. "I didn't want to worry you."

He let out a sadistic laugh. "Well I'm worried now!"

She didn't respond.

He kneeled in front of her and forced her to look at him. "You should've told me, but I respect your decisions and I still love you. Do you understand me? Even if that baby had been Ed's, I still would've loved it because it would be half of you. And I love you. I will _always_ love you."

For the first time since Roy entered the bathroom, Riza showed emotion. Her vision filled with tears as she broke down into deep, heavy sobs. Roy once again wrapped her in his arms, and they stayed like this for a very long time.

When Riza's sobs became fewer, Roy wordlessly cradled her in his arms and took her over to the bathtub. He started the water and stripped her of her bloody clothing. He slowly washed her off, being careful of her fist, which still held the baby's tissue. After he got her clean, he made a move for her fist, but she pulled it away from him.

"Riza…"

"We're not just going to throw it away or flush it down the toilet."

He stroked her damp face and smiled softly at her. "Of course not. We're going to bury it like any other person."

_Person. What an odd way to describe this…thing._

"Riza…"

His words brought her back to reality.

"Hm?"

"Why don't you put it down and go back to sleep. I'll take care of it."

"No. _We _need to take care of it. It's _our _child."

He nodded as he went to go get her one of his shirts, which was so big on her that it looked like a dress. He grabbed her empty hand as he led her outside to a small patch of soil. He got down on his knees and started digging with his bare hands. _We need to bury it now. No waiting. We have to get it out of the way so we can move on. I can't even imagine how Riza feels right now. I know I'm devastated, and I only learned she was pregnant a little while ago. How will she be able to deal with this kind of pain? Losing a child…born or unborn…has got to be the worst feeling in the world. I wish there was more I could do for her, but this is the best I can do for now._

Riza watched as Roy dug the grave for the…baby…in her hand. _How can it even be called a baby? I wish none of this would have happened. I wish…I wish… _The world swirled around her as her vision went dark.

Roy heard a thud and turned around to see Riza passed out on the ground. _I guess that's to be expected. She lost a lot of blood and is probably stressed out of her mind. She'd want me to finish this though. She'll be all right for now._

He dug a few more handfuls of dirt from the ground before going over and prying the small clump of tissue from Riza's hand. Without realizing it, he was crying. Bawling. Like a baby. _Like this baby should have been. Why is God so cruel? He couldn't have given Riza this baby? He couldn't have given _us _this baby? _He stroked its head before placing it into the ground with tears pouring from his face. At that moment, it started to rain. _Wow God, really? Rain? How stereotypical._ He started to push the loose dirt back into the hole, when suddenly Riza appeared at his side.

"You should go inside and rest." He sniffed quietly and tried to steel his face, but he was sure that he failed.

She raised her clean hand to wipe his tears. "No. I said we would bury it, so that's what we're going to. Together."

He nodded. "Right."

They immediately got to work and finished within a few minutes. They both stood to look at their handiwork.

"It needs something," Roy pointed out absentmindedly.

"It's fine. Let's just go in and get out of the rain."

"You go ahead."

Riza sighed, but she knew that he needed some time alone. "All right. Hurry though. You don't want to get sick."

"I'll be right in." He took her hands and kissed them, ignoring the fact that they were covered in mud.

When Roy was sure that she was inside, he found a stone large enough for what he wanted to do. He carved a transmutation circle in the mud and transmuted the rugged stone into a smooth slab of white marble. He carried the slab to a place out of the rain and took out his ignition gloves. He pictured what he wanted on the slab and snapped his fingers.

Riza looked out the kitchen window to see what Roy was up to. She saw flames, and then Roy emerging from the neighbor's porch. He walked over to where they had buried the child, and set a beautiful piece of marble down on top of it. Even from where she was standing, she could read what it said:

_Igne nasci parvulos et accipitris, expandens alas suas._

Riza's eyes burned from the emerging tears. _"Born from fire, the little hawk spreads its wings." _She heard the door open and shut. She ran to him and flew into his arms, tears once again running down her cheeks.

"Thank you…" she managed to whisper.

In response, he tightened his grip around her and buried his face in her shoulder.

* * *

**AN: Sorry it's so short, but I was so emotionally drained that I couldn't continue. Even though I'm young enough to be in college, I'm old enough to have been pregnant before. I had a miscarriage similar to Riza's, so it was SUPER emotional to write all this down. **

**So in short, please bare with me if my grammar/writing was a bit off, but I hope you still enjoyed it. Oh, and blame Google Translate if the Latin is bad hehe. Look for more updates soon! :)**


	11. Addiction

**AN: Well, I've recovered from writing the last chapter and produced this! I must admit it, this chapter involved lots of time staring at a blank screen, but once I got it going I think it turned out ok! Enjoy! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Addiction**

They both had crawled into bed after eating, showering, and getting dressed together. They seemed to need each other's company everywhere they went; now more than ever.

She snuggled her face against his chest and sighed. "You know we have to destroy that stone. If someone sees it…"

"I know. I'll take care of it in the morning." He kissed the top of her head and whispered, "I'll always be here for you – through the good times and the bad. I love you so much and nothing is ever going to change that."

He was expecting a response, but nothing came. He looked down at her with concern, however his expression eased when he saw that she had already fallen asleep. He smiled and relaxed at the feeling of her body pressed against his. _We've been through a lot tonight, _he thought. _But nothing will ever separate us._ He leaned his head back against his pillow and drifted off into a deep sleep.

* * *

Her dreams were nothing of the sort – they were nightmares. Horrible visions of flames and screaming, bloody babies filled her mind. The babies were fighting each other with…flame alchemy. All of them were wearing miniature ignition gloves identical to Roy's. _No, no, no, this can't be happening. Roy burned the secrets of flame alchemy off of my back._ She was standing in the solid white room as the nightmarish fight waged on. _SNAP! _A fireball whizzed past her, missing her head by mere centimeters. _Goddammit. How could this happen? No living person is supposed to know flame alchemy except Roy._

_…right. No _living _person. These things aren't alive. Come on, Riza. Wake up! This isn't real! Wake UP!_

The fireballs grew in numbers, as did the babies. They would appear from nowhere covered in blood with missing arms, legs, heads, or just contorted beyond recognition. Even though they all seemed to be different, every single one had at least one ignition glove, and every single one knew flame alchemy.

By now, hundreds of babies surrounded her in the white room, all fighting each other. Suddenly, her gaze met one child that didn't have gloves, nor was shooting fireballs, nor was covered in blood. They stared at each other, equally scared of what was happening around them. She crouched and slowly walked over to the little one, careful to avoid the flying dangers overhead. When she reached it, she saw that it had dark black hair and stunningly hazel eyes. A name tag appeared on its diaper:

Astor Mustang.

Before she could process the name, she felt as if the whole world was caving in around her. Her vision became blurry, and darkness overcame her. The babies and fireballs had all disappeared – just darkness remained.

* * *

Roy awoke to Riza violently tossing and turning in her sleep. _Damn…must be having a nightmare. _He grabbed her shoulder and shook it gently, but it didn't work. He shook her again, this time with a little more force. She still didn't wake.

"Riza."

Nothing.

He raised his voice. "Riza, darling. You're having a nightmare. Wake up."

Still nothing.

He sat up and grabbed both of her shoulders and shook her so roughly that he hoped he didn't hurt her.

She shot up in such panic that she punched him right in the nose, which slowly started to bleed.

"OUCH! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" He stood up and cupped his nose in an attempt to slow the bleeding.

Her eyes widened at the realization of what she had just done. "Roy! I'm so sorry!" She ran to the bathroom to get a damp towel and gave it to him. She then ran to the kitchen, put some ice in another towel, and switched it out with the damp one, which was now spotted with blood.

Only then did she truly realize the familiarity of the red substance. _So much blood._ Her head started to get dizzy as she remembered what had happened just a few short hours ago, and what her nightmare had entailed. She started to hyperventilate as anxiety took its toll on her.

"Riza?"

She looked at him, but her eyes weren't focused, and her breathing was short and rapid. "Huh?"

"I'm the one that's supposed to be freaking out right now. I need you here, okay?"

She shook her head as if to free herself of her previous thoughts. She then closed her eyes and forced a few deep breaths. After a minute or so, she felt better, and turned her attention to Roy's nose.

"It might be sore for a couple of days. I've seen my fair share of broken noses, and I can say with confidence that it's not broken."

"Thank you, Dr. Hawkeye." He smiled softly and kissed her cheek.

She looked down at her feet. "I'm so sorry, Roy."

Even though she hadn't verbally explained what she was apologizing for, he understood perfectly.

_I'm sorry for waking you up with my nightmares. I'm sorry for worrying you. I'm sorry for punching you. I'm sorry for not being able to carry your child. I'm sorry my mind can't handle the pressure of losing a baby. I'm sorry for not being able to be your wife. I'm sorry for the way our lives have turned out._

"Riza…" He wrapped his arms around her waist and looked into her eyes. "If there's one thing in my life that I'm thankful for, it's you. I would give up everything if it meant having you by my side. Please don't be so hard on yourself. You have nothing to be sorry about."

She gazed into his dark, yet fiery eyes and nodded. It's amazing how much he understood from just one apology.

"Do you want to talk about it? The nightmare, I mean."

Instead of responding, she grabbed his hand and led him into the bedroom, where they climbed under the covers.

Riza took a deep breath, and then proceeded to tell Roy about the flames and the bloody babies. She ended with the sight of Astor.

"It was him. It was our child, I swear it. He had your hair and my eyes. He was the only one not using flame alchemy. He was the only one who actually looked at me. And he had a name tag that said 'Astor Mustang'. How could that not be him?"

He turned his head to look at her and brushed a stray hair away from her eyes. "Riza, you know it wasn't real. I'm sure your mind did a very good job in making you believe it was real, but it wasn't."

"But it felt real. Seeing him there, looking at me. He looked so much like you…"

"But the only baby you have is outside, buried in the ground. I'm sorry, Riza, I just don't think it's healthy to believe in something that doesn't exist."

"You're right…I'm sorry." She closed her eyes and sighed. His words were harsh, but true.

He rolled his eyes and pulled her closer to his core. "There you go again."

"Huh?"

"Stop apologizing for things you can't control."

Before she knew it, she was laughing. _How can I be laughing? How did he do that?_ She raised her head and kissed him in between her bouts of hilarity. She kissed him over and over again, laughing all the while.

At first Roy was a little concerned for her mental stability, but eventually he gave in to her extremely contagious laughter, as well as her kisses. He had her pinned on the bed, their lips meeting with repeated fervor.

He had to admit that he loved when Riza acted so unmistakably sexual, like she was now, but at the same time he wondered what her real motives were. She had to be hurting on the inside. She had to be scared from her horrific nightmare. But yet here she was, laughing her head off and making out with him like they were teenagers again. Was she just trying to forget? Trying to move on? Whatever her reasons were, he couldn't force himself to pull away from her even if his life depended on it. She was like a drug to him, and he would be addicted from now until the end of time.

* * *

**AN: You guys are awesome, by the way. When I wrote the first couple of chapters to this story, it was just for my own entertainment. I never imagined that I would have an army of approx. 50 people (and growing) that consistently reads after every update. Your continued support and encouragement gives me a reason to keep writing. Thank you sooooooo much! 3**

**OH! And the first person to post the meaning of Astor's name in the comments will get a special prize! (aka, you can request anything you'd like for me to write about, and I'll do my best) Have fun! ^.^**


	12. Shadows

**AN: I'm alive! Sorry for the late update. My work decided to pile on the hours since I've finished my semester. Hope you guys like this one! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Shadows**

The sun rose to a new day and so did Riza. She awoke to the knowledge that she would have to force herself to keep her composure around Ed. Letting him in on anything that happened last night would be a huge mistake. Well, sex with Roy was an obvious part to keep quiet about, but there was no way that he would be able to handle her having a miscarriage. He would find a way to blame himself, like he did for just about everything else. She wouldn't let him do that to himself. Not again.

She stood up, showered, and went out to the kitchen to make herself breakfast. As she was pouring a glass of juice, Roy came up from behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled their bodies as close as possible while resting his head on her shoulder.

"Good morning, gorgeous." He smiled and offered a few sensual kisses to her neck.

She smiled at his warm embrace. "I'm surprised to see you up. You have the day off, so wouldn't it be best to go back to sleep?"

"I can't see my wife off to her other lover?" he purred, as if it was supposed to be a seductive question.

"Roy…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. We're not married. I can dream, can't I?"

And here come his puppy dog eyes.

"Yes, Roy. You can dream all you want. But I'm the one who has to deal with living a double life. I find it hard to dream."

He sighed, feigning exasperation. "Awe, Riza! You ruin all the fun with your 'serious Lieutenant' mode."

She laughed lightly at his childish banter, but quickly moved on to finished her breakfast (which was difficult with someone constantly hanging on your backside).

"Roy, I need to get dressed."

"Well go ahead, nothing is stopping you," he said with a devilish grin.

"You're acting like a monkey stuck to a banana. Get off so I can get dressed."

He sighed once again. "Fine, fine. Be that way." He released his grip and went to the kitchen.

Riza walked to the bedroom and began to change into her military uniform. _He's being so clingy today. I mean, he's usually against me leaving, but I don't think he's ever hung on to me so much. He must be trying to make me feel better. I'm sad about losing the baby, and I will be for a long time, but I'm not depressed or anything. …am I? I could be in denial. _She shook her head as she pulled on her boots. _No. I'm fine. I have to be. For Roy. For Ed. For myself. _And with that, she exited the bedroom to find Roy once again making coffee for her on her way out.

She smiled at the familiar sight as she reached out for her cup. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome, as usual." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Get a move on. You're going to be late as it is."

She raised her eyebrows, surprised at his sudden change of attitude. "You're not going to try to make me more late?"

"I could, if you really want me to." His devilish grin returned as he eyed her figure through the uniform.

Rolling her eyes at his notion, she smiled as she set down her coffee and pulled him into a kiss. Both of their bodies relaxed as they settled into each other's arms, but neither could deny the fact that Riza had to leave. After finishing her coffee and yet another kiss goodbye, she left to face what the day had in store.

* * *

She couldn't shake a feeling of uneasiness as she made her way to Ed's house. She thought it was due to her concern about worrying him, but it seemed that her "Hawkeye senses" were tingling, similar to how they were in her dream about the train wreck, or how they were before a firefight in Ishval. She looked around, but nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. However, that didn't stop her from being on her guard.

After a few anxiety-filled minutes, she decided to take a detour just to be safe. She turned down an empty, narrow street.

_Snap!_

She quickly stopped and turned around, hand on the pistol that sat on her waist. Nothing was there, but she could've sworn she saw a fragment of someone's body sweep into one of the branching streets.

"Hello?" she called out.

No reply.

She shrugged. _I'm probably just imagining things._ She took a few more steps and –

_Thud!_

This time she turned around with her pistol drawn and ready to fire.

"Who the hell are you? Come out where I can see you, coward!"

To her surprise, her stalker actually did what she asked, revealing a small young boy from behind a nearby dumpster. His most distinctive features were his shadowy black hair with eyes to match.

Shocked at the innocence of the "danger" following her, she immediately lowered her gun. "Why are you following me? Who are you?"

The boy's face immediately dropped into a disappointed frown. "You…don't know…who I am?"

Riza raised her eyebrows at the sound of the boy's voice. It was almost melodic, yet it had an undertone that made her feel extremely uncomfortable. "No, that's why I asked. Now answer my questions."

"I'm sorry for following you. My name is Selim Bradley. You're Riza Elric, right?" He looked up at her with a glint of admiration in his eyes.

She just about passed out on the spot. _Selim Bradley?! As in the Fuhrer's son? Why was he following me, of all people?_ "Well, yes, technically. Although, I still go by Riza Hawkeye."

His awestruck eyes seemed to double in size. "Then you're married to the Fullmetal Alchemist? That's so cool! You gotta let me meet him! Please?" He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, as if he just couldn't contain his excitement.

_The plain innocence of this boy is amazing. It's almost too much, like he's putting on a show. Something is not right about him, but I can't quite put my finger on it._

She faked a chuckle. "You're a fan of my husband, huh? We'll see if I can arrange for you two to meet. Not before you tell me why you were following me, though." She looked at him like a stern mother would look while reprimanding her child.

"I…I'm sorry! I just _really _want to meet the Fullmetal Alchemist! I was out buying a few things for my mother when I saw you. I decided that I would ask you about meeting him, but then I became nervous whenever I got close to you, so I hid. I didn't mean to startle you, I swear!" He started to tear up, clearly afraid that he was in trouble.

_Maybe he's not acting. He seems so genuine! Damn. Either he's a really good kid, or a remarkable actor. _She walked over to him and patted his head sympathetically. Both of them seemed to enjoy the gesture, their faces turning into smiles.

"It's all right, Selim. I understand. Do you want to walk with me? I'm actually on my way home right now." _I can't believe I'm inviting the Fuhrer's son to my house. But if that's what the boy wants then I assume I should do it._

Selim gasped. "Really? You mean it?" he questioned eagerly.

She nodded in response.

He literally jumped for joy. "Yeah! Let's go!"

Riza couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. "Okay, it's this way." She pointed and started walking, Selim on her heels.

The boy glared at her back and smiled with such malice that if anyone had seen it, they would know that he was up to no good.

* * *

**AN: Yikes! Selim/Pride scares me...he's all like YAY childhood one moment, then an evil "I'm gonna kill you" homunculus the next! (Obviously going off of the manga/Brotherhood) Please review! I'd really appreciate everyone's feedback on this. Thanks for reading!**


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